How metal wires changed the world!

Summary

Brains On! – How Metal Wires Changed the World!

Podcast: Brains On! Science podcast for kids
Host: Molly Bloom
Co-host: Ava (West Melbourne, Florida)
Guest Expert: Dylan Thuras (Co-founder of Atlas Obscura)
Episode Date: December 16, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this lively and informative episode, Molly Bloom and co-host Ava wrap up their three-part series on metal by exploring how metal wires revolutionized global communication. With guest expert Dylan Thuras, they trace the fascinating history of wire-made wonders—from the first experiments with electricity to the birth of the telegraph, the laying of the first transatlantic cable, and the electrification of the modern world. The episode balances science, history, and humor, keeping young listeners engaged with soundscapes, games, and fun side-quests.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The “Superpowers” of Metal

• Metals as superheroes:
  • Molly introduces the metaphor of metal as “Clark Kent”—an ordinary material with hidden powers.

    "But like Clark, metals also have hidden superpowers." – Molly Bloom (00:43)

  • Dylan Thuras explains that, by the 1600s-1700s, people were discovering more than just the strength of metal—they noticed how metals could carry electric shocks and signals.

    "People had started to realize back in the even the 1600s and 1700s, that metal had some very interesting properties besides what you could make out of it." – Dylan Thuras (00:48)

2. The Industrial Revolution and the Age of Wires

• Industrial changes:

  • Molly and Ava set the scene:

    “Something else major was happening in Europe and the US: the Industrial Revolution.” – Ava (05:18)

  • The introduction of steam engines marked a shift from muscle and renewable energy to coal-powered machinery.

    "For the first time in history, you were not just dependent on either muscle power or renewable power to get stuff done." – Dylan Thuras (06:00)

• Making lots of wire:

  • Major breakthrough: mass production of metal wire in the late 1700s and 1800s set the stage for new inventions.

3. Electricity & Metal: Groundbreaking Discoveries

• Early experiments:
  • Stacking zinc and copper sheets with saltwater-soaked rags created an electric current (early batteries).

    "...if you stack zinc and copper, sheets of zinc and copper, and you separate them... it starts to create an electrical current." – Dylan Thuras (06:29)

  • Scientists realized some metals are better at carrying electricity than others.

4. The Birth of the Telegraph

• Communication problems:

  • Before wires, messages traveled by horse, train, or boat—a process that could take weeks or months.

    "You could put it on a boat, you could put it on a horse... that could take weeks if you were traveling from one country to the other, you know, across an ocean. Holy moly. That could take months." – Dylan Thuras (12:56)

• How the telegraph worked:

  • Metal wires + electricity = ability to send electric “pulses” (signals) between places.

    “Electricity can travel through wires way faster than boats or horses or trains move.” – Molly Bloom (13:13)

  • Morse Code: Short and long pulses for letters—used by operators to send messages.
    • Example walkthrough: Sending "Happy birthday, Mom" across the wire (14:20–14:56).

• Impact:

  • Messages could now be sent almost instantly—a revolutionary shift in global communication.

    "...those electric signals are moving close to the speed of light." – Dylan Thuras (13:32)

5. The Transatlantic Cable

• The next frontier:

  • Crossing the ocean was a new challenge: Could a wire be stretched from North America to Europe under the sea?

    "There's a big plan to say we are going to create a transoceanic telegraph cable." – Dylan Thuras (18:44)

  • 1858: The first, giant metal wire coil was laid across the Atlantic. It worked—briefly.

    "Queen Victoria sends a lovely, flowery message to President Buchanan... For a few weeks... then it stops working." – Dylan Thuras (19:33)

• Failure and persistence:

  • The first cable failed because it was too weak, but inventors tried again with stronger materials.
  • After about a decade, a lasting cable succeeded—a giant leap toward modern, instant global communication.

    "It took about 10 years, but success. It worked. And this time it kept working." – Molly Bloom (20:18)

6. Wires Change Everything

• Beyond the telegraph:

  • Progress didn’t stop with Morse code.
    • Telephones sent voices over wires.
    • Electric power reached homes via wires.
    • The internet still relies on cables—though now with plastics and fiberglass.

• Collaboration is key:

  • Invention is a team effort over time, not just about one person’s “lightbulb moment.”

    "...it's actually a much more organic, much weirder, much slower, much more collaborative process." – Dylan Thuras (21:43)

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• Metals as Superheroes:

  "Metal seems normal enough. Metals are solid, strong materials that are generally great to make stuff with. But like Clark, metals also have hidden superpowers." – Molly Bloom (00:35–00:48)

• Breakthrough with Electricity:

  "If you stack zinc and copper... and you separate them with... a rag soaked in seawater, it starts to create an electrical current." – Dylan Thuras (06:29)

• On the telegraph’s revolutionary speed:

  "You could send a message almost in real time, because those electric signals are moving close to the speed of light." – Dylan Thuras (13:32)

• On crossing the ocean:

  "We're going across the ocean with this wire trailing behind this steamship." – Dylan Thuras (19:15)

• On invention:

  "Sometimes we have this idea in our head that one person has an idea... but it's actually a much more organic, much weirder, much slower, much more collaborative process." – Dylan Thuras (21:43)

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Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Event | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:16 | Introduction: Metals & Superpowers analogy | | 04:11 | The journey: From ancient metalwork to wire making | | 05:18 | Setting: The Industrial Revolution & energy breakthroughs | | 06:29 | Early electricity experiments with metals | | 12:28 | Linking: Cheap, long metal wires + electricity + slow mail = new era | | 13:23 | Birth of the telegraph: How it worked, Morse code explained | | 18:44 | Crossing the ocean: The transatlantic cable and its challenges | | 20:18 | Success! The permanent transatlantic cable and its ripple effect | | 21:43 | How invention actually happens: Collaboration & the slow road to progress |

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Fun Moments & Listener Engagement

• Mystery Sound!
  • Listeners guess a strange metal sound (later revealed to be an egg rolling in a mixing bowl).

    "Hi, my name is Ben and I live from Western Virginia. That was a sign of an egg rolling in a mixing bowl." (24:56)

• Silly sidebars:
  • Grand opening of Brains On headquarters with a “reverse piñata” and comically large gold scissors (23:01–23:14).
• Mailbag Segment:
  • Kids suggest fun rooms for the new headquarters (e.g., a pillow fort room, a tornado room, a food-ordering room).

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Conclusion

The episode shows how metal wires have connected the world—literally and figuratively. From the depths of dying stars to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, humans have unlocked metal’s secret abilities and changed society forever. The episode closes with the message that great inventions are the result of collaborative effort and many small steps, not just one big idea.

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Further Exploration

• Want to know how metals are made? Listen to Parts 1 and 2 of the series.
• Curious about the Internet and underwater cables? Listen to the episode How the Internet Works.

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Credits & Acknowledgments

• Written by Sam Taunton
• Produced by Molly Bloom
• Sound design/theme music by Mark Sanchez
• Guest expert: Dylan Thuras
• Special thanks to kid contributors, voice actors, and listeners.

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Quote to Remember:

"It's actually a much more organic, much weirder, much slower, much more collaborative process." – Dylan Thuras (21:43)

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[Episode structured for maximum engagement and understanding, with timestamped highlights and major takeaways.]

Transcript

[Unknown Guest]

Lemonade.

[Ava]

Brains on Universe. You're listening to Brains on. Where we're serious about being curious.

[Molly Bloom]

Clark Kent is an ordinary person with a secret.

[Ava]

Yeah, he seems normal enough until you find out he can fly, shoot lasers from his eyes, and he's basically indestructible.

[Molly Bloom]

Right? He's Superman. Superpowers. Metals like that, too.

[Ava]

Metal seems normal enough. Metals are solid, strong materials that are generally great to make stuff with.

[Molly Bloom]

But like Clark, metals also have hidden superpowers.

[Dylan Thuras]

People had started to realize back in the even the 1600s and 1700s, that metal had some very interesting properties besides what you could make out of it. We can kind of send a little shock, a little sick along a wire and move something from here to there.

[Molly Bloom]

That's Dylan Thuris, co founder of Atlas Obscura. He's here again to help with the final chapter in our deep dive on metal.

[Ava]

Check out parts one and two. If you haven't.

[Molly Bloom]

Today we're going to wrap up by looking at how metal's superpowers change the way we send messages around the world.

[Ava]

Look up. It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Brains on coming at you right now.

[Molly Bloom]

Hey, friends. Sandon and I were unpacking and we found an old photo album.

[Sandon]

Oh, Molly, look. Remember that time we attempted to make the world's largest pizza? We're having such a blast in this photo.

[Molly Bloom]

Yes. So much cheese.

[Sandon]

Oh, here. It's our high school graduation pick. Boy, we were friends even way back when, huh?

[Molly Bloom]

Totally. And again, so much cheese. Yeah.

[Sandon]

I kept telling Mark that using shredded cheddar as confetti was a bad idea. The audit auditorium was overrun with mice for weeks after that.

[Molly Bloom]

Photo albums are great because they remind you of what's important to you. Which in our case is apparently friendship and cheese.

[Sandon]

And if brainzone would go in your family photo album, then why not support us by joining Smartypass?

[Molly Bloom]

You get ad free episodes, bonus content, invites to special hangouts with us. You can even get a message from me. Where? I'll tell you my favorite kind of cheese. It rhymes with Smuttage Smeez.

[Sandon]

Just go to brainson.org to sign up because we gotta support the things we want to see more of in the world.

[Molly Bloom]

Hey, Sand.

[Mark Sanchez]

And hey, Molly. Speaking of more, I've got good news.

[Molly Bloom]

What is it, Mark?

[Mark Sanchez]

We just got one more Smartypass subscriber.

[Molly Bloom]

Let's celebrate.

[Mark Sanchez]

I brought the cheddar confetti.

[Molly Bloom]

Ah. So much cheese. Brains On. You're listening to Brains On. I'm your Host Molly Bloom. And my co host again is none other than Ava from West Melbourne, Florida. Hi, Ava.

[Ava]

Hey Molly. I'm excited for the party later.

[Molly Bloom]

Oh yeah. We're finally ready to do the grand opening ceremony for our new headquarters. Sandon is in the lobby setting everything up.

[Ava]

It looked great down there, but what's with that giant piece of hard candy hanging from the ceiling?

[Molly Bloom]

Oh, that's Mark's reverse pinata. It's a large piece of candy and when you crack it open, tiny colorful paper mache animals fall out.

[Ava]

Makes sense.

[Molly Bloom]

So Ava, this whole series was inspired by your question.

[Ava]

I wanted to know how is metal made? To get the answer, we went on quite a journey.

[Molly Bloom]

We learned that metal comes from giant dying stars. Some of it ended up on our planet.

[Ava]

Ancient humans learned how to work with metal and make cool stuff out of it.

[Molly Bloom]

First by hammering it to shape it, then later by melting it.

[Ava]

They even mixed stuff together to make stronger metals and figured out how to make wires.

[Molly Bloom]

Today we're gonna find out how humans use that wire to send messages all over the world. But first, let's welcome back our guide for this series. Dylan Thuras, co founder of Atlas Obscura.

[Ava]

He co wrote a book that looks at metal wires and other cool inventions.

[Molly Bloom]

It's called the Atlas Obscura Explorer's Guide to Inventing the World. Welcome back, Dylan.

[Dylan Thuras]

Happy to be here. It's like I never left because I didn't actually leave. I will say there are an awful lot of hallways here and I got, I got really lost. Eventually I found my way back to the studio.

[Molly Bloom]

Sorry about that. We really need to put up the exit signs.

[Ava]

But since you're here, let's learn about wires.

[Dylan Thuras]

Let's do it.

[Molly Bloom]

So when we last left off, we were talking about how in the 1800s, humans got pretty good at making lots of metal wires.

[Ava]

And you mentioned that this would lead to some really cool breakthroughs.

[Molly Bloom]

Yes. But first let's set the scene around the late 1700s and early 1800s. Something else major was happening in Europe.

[Ava]

And the US the Industrial Revolution.

[Molly Bloom]

Industrial Revolution. This comes up a lot in history. It's a really busy time for humans. We're sailing around the world in big ships, but we don't have cars or electricity in homes yet.

[Ava]

But we start having trains and we start making stuff in big factories.

[Molly Bloom]

These new breakthroughs are powered by something.

[Ava]

Called a steam engine that's basically a machine that runs on burning things like coal to make steam that powers other things like factories or trains.

[Molly Bloom]

Before the steam engine we used renewable energy, like water wheels that were powered by rivers. But the steam engine changed all that.

[Dylan Thuras]

For the first time in history, you were not just dependent on either muscle power or renewable power to get stuff done. You suddenly had access to a lot more energy in this, using coal and steam engines.

[Molly Bloom]

Industrial revolution. The industrial revolution comes around the same time we get really good at making.

[Ava]

Metal wires, which becomes really important because it turns out metal is hiding some cool powers.

[Dylan Thuras]

People had started to realize back in the. Even the 1600s and 1700s, that metal had some very interesting properties besides what you could make out of it. And so early in the 1700s, they figure out if you actually stack different metals, if you stack zinc and copper, sheets of zinc and copper, and you separate them with, basically, a rag soaked in seawater, it starts to create an electrical current.

[Molly Bloom]

These scientists were toying with electricity. It was pretty mysterious stuff back then.

[Ava]

But lots of scientists were obsessed.

[Dylan Thuras]

So people are starting to play with this, and they're starting to realize that certain metals move electricity better than other metals. And so they realize that, oh, that's interesting. We can kind of send a little shock, a little signal along a wire and move something from here to there. And so people are starting to realize that this might actually come in handy, and there might be a way you could use this for practical purposes.

[Ava]

This discovery would change how we communicate.

[Molly Bloom]

That's coming up. But first, Ava, I think it's time to give our ears a jolt. Are you ready for the mystery sound? Here it is. That is a bonkers sound.

[Ava]

That.

[Molly Bloom]

Whoa. What do you think?

[Ava]

It kind of sounds like someone's going, like. Like, maybe in, like. I don't even know.

[Molly Bloom]

Yeah, maybe they're beatboxing. There's, like, a dance party happening. I like it.

[Ava]

It kind of sounded like a sound that kind of I've heard metal make before.

[Molly Bloom]

Ooh, that would be appropriate, since it's a metal episode. Should we hear it again? Not sure I want to, but yes, let's do it. Okay. I still have no idea.

[Ava]

What do you think it kind of sounded like at the end? Something was being, like, pulled away, like, at the end, you know?

[Molly Bloom]

That's good listening. It did sound like metal. There was definitely a metal quality happening. Well, we're gonna hear it again and hear the answer at the end of.

[Ava]

The show, so stick around.

[Molly Bloom]

We're taking a big whiff of science soon because we're doing an episode all about skunks. Sure, they can stink, but that stink is a very important defense mechanism. It's how they stop other animals from eating them. So we want to know, if you were an animal, what would your unique or surprising defense mechanism be? Bad breath. Unnerving eye contact. The ability to make any animal incapacitated with laughter due to your knock knock jokes. Tell us your idea and send it to [e-mail] contact. You can also send us your questions, mystery sounds, or drawings of our new headquarters. Thank you. So, I can't wait to hear from you. Brains.

[Unknown Guest]

Fun.

[Molly Bloom]

We're back and we're talking metal. But first, I just got a text from Sandon. He says he needs our help in the lobby.

[Ava]

Be right back.

[Sandon]

Okay. Penelope Poodle, play me the song you and your band wrote for the grand opening. Um, can you make it, like, a little more festive?

[Molly Bloom]

Perfect. Hey, Sandin. Hey, Penelope and the poodles.

[Ava]

We're here. What do you need help with?

[Sandon]

Oh, hey, Molly and Ava. Thanks for asking. Everything is almost ready for the big opening ceremony of our new headquarters.

[Ava]

Congrats. This place looks great. I especially love the comforting sounds. Vending machine.

[Molly Bloom]

You added me, too. Let's put a quarter in. I got listening to classical music by a crackling fireplace. Yes.

[Sam Taunton]

Aw.

[Ava]

I got a purring cat making you hot soup.

[Sandon]

Nice. Well, like I said, everything is just about ready. But I still need one more thing. Giant scissors.

[Molly Bloom]

What about those scissors over there?

[Sandon]

Molly, those are normal scissors. But everyone knows when you do a grand opening ceremony, you need a big ribbon that you tie across the doorway. And then you cut that ribbon with comically large scissors. And then everyone claps and says how cool you look with your big, big scissors. It's practically the law.

[Molly Bloom]

Hmm. We don't have any really big scissors, but I bet Mark can make some in his lab. Let me text him.

[Sandon]

Tell him they should be big and gold and also like, really, really, really, really, really big.

[Molly Bloom]

He's on it now. We gotta get back to the studio.

[Ava]

Later, Sandon. Good luck.

[Sandon]

Thanks. See ya. Oh, man, I hope Mark gets it. I hope he understands just how important it is that these scissors are big.

[Molly Bloom]

Okay, we're back with Dylan Thuras, co founder of Atlas Obscura.

[Dylan Thuras]

Hi.

[Ava]

We left off talking about how a couple important things were happening in the world around the same time.

[Molly Bloom]

One, we learned how to make lots of metal wire pretty quickly and cheaply.

[Ava]

Two, we learned that you can zap little jolts of electricity through those wires.

[Molly Bloom]

And finally, we learned people had a problem sending letters long distances. The problem was it took forever.

[Dylan Thuras]

You could put it on a boat, you could put it On a horse. You know, it was whatever form of transportation you were carrying the letter in was the fastest way to get it there. But that could take weeks if you were traveling from one country to the other, you know, across an ocean. Holy moly. That could take months.

[Molly Bloom]

This is where the wire and electricity come in handy, because electricity can travel through wires way faster than boats or horses or trains move.

[Ava]

People figured out they could run wires from one place to another. Then they could easily send little pulses of electricity between those places.

[Dylan Thuras]

By using this new found, lovely creation of huge amounts of long, cheaply made wire, you could send a little electric signal. Just a boop. And you could send a message using that wire. You could have a way to just generate different lengths of electric signal, long or short, and use something called Morse code to basically send a message almost in real time, because those electric signals are moving close to the speed of light.

[Ava]

And just like that, a revolutionary new invention called the telegraph was born.

[Molly Bloom]

It worked like this. Say you wanted to send a message to your mom. You would write your message down and give it to a telegraph operator.

[Dylan Thuras]

Hi, Mom.

[Mark Sanchez]

Happy birthday.

[Molly Bloom]

Then that operator would translate that into Morse code. The code for H is four short beeps, and the one for I is.

[Ava]

Two short beeps and mom is two long beeps for M. Three long beeps for O and two more long beeps for M. Again.

[Molly Bloom]

The telegraph operator would use this code to send your message to another telegraph operator in another city. The operator would translate the bleeps and bloops back into the original message, then deliver it to your mom.

[Mark Sanchez]

Telegraph my letter. It reads, happy birthday, Mom.

[Dylan Thuras]

Love, John.

[Unknown Guest]

Aw, that's sweet. But right back. Omg, my B day was last week. Lol. Are you for real? That's four. Like the number four. Did you get that?

[Molly Bloom]

This dramatically changed how people communicated across.

[Ava]

Parts of the US but sending messages across the ocean was still a big problem.

[Molly Bloom]

Coming up, how we solved that. But first, we got our own messages to check. It's the mailbag.

[Mark Sanchez]

Hey, friends, it's Mark with the mailbag. We're just putting the final touches on some of the cool new rooms at hq, but we've got a lot more space to fill. That's why we asked you what we should put in them. Let's see what you've got for us.

[Ava]

Hi, my name is Lauren, and I'm from New Jersey. And my room idea is that you should make a room made out of pillows and blankets, like a pillow fort, except it's permanent.

[Mark Sanchez]

Oh, Lauren, brilliant. It's Perfect for pillow fights and afternoon naps.

[Ava]

My name is Ben Am and I'm from Chelsea Peak, Virginia. And I think the new Benton headquarters should have a mini tornado room.

[Mark Sanchez]

Ooh, Ben, definitely. We gotta do that one. A mini tornado room is gonna be perfect for when you want your hair to have that just tousled by tornado luck.

[Quincy]

Hi, my name is Quincy. I'm from Eagle River, Alaska, and I think you should have a room in Brain's on Headquarters where you can order whatever food you want and Gal Gador makes it for you as your own personal chef. He could have a restaurant with special funny monster food that is actually regular food, just named gross stuff like snail pie that is actually regular pie.

[Sam Taunton]

Thank you.

[Mark Sanchez]

Oh, Quincy, these ideas are all great. In fact, we've already added some of them, but we need more. Send us your idea by going to brainson.org or you can just send us a question, a joke, a riddle, or whatever. We're looking forward to hearing from you. Mark, you snail pie is ready.

[Molly Bloom]

Yes.

[Mark Sanchez]

Got a jet later.

[Molly Bloom]

Want Brains on without the ads? Join SmartyPass and get ad free versions of every show in the Brainzon universe. Plus, you're supporting the work we do to teach kids about cool things like the science of metal. Sign [e-mail] thanks.

[Ava]

Brains On.

[Molly Bloom]

Hey, all. Molly here with Ava and Dylan, and.

[Ava]

We'Re talking about how telegraphs completely changed the game when it came to communication.

[Dylan Thuras]

It's exciting stuff.

[Molly Bloom]

Right before you had to write a letter and put that on a horse or a train or a boat, it.

[Ava]

Could take days, weeks, or even months to get it delivered.

[Molly Bloom]

But then Suddenly, in the mid-1800s, you could just use little pulses of electricity sent over metal wires to deliver a message almost instantly, which was huge.

[Ava]

But it only worked if you could run wire between two locations.

[Dylan Thuras]

It's one thing to run a telegraph cable from Baltimore to Washington D.C. it is a very different thing to run one from New York all the way to London.

[Ava]

Because there's an ocean between New York and London.

[Molly Bloom]

Yeah. How are you going to get a wire across an ocean? Well, people thought up a way.

[Dylan Thuras]

There's a big plan to say we are going to create a transoceanic telegraph cable. We are going to lay a piece of wire on the bottom of the entire ocean stretching from one coast to the other, and then we're going to be able to chat with each other.

[Molly Bloom]

So they make this incredibly enormous coil.

[Ava]

Of wire, and in the year 1858, they put the huge wire on a boat.

[Molly Bloom]

Then they began to travel across the Atlantic Ocean.

[Dylan Thuras]

And they are basically dropping this down. It's got lead weights on it that are pulling it down to the bottom of the ocean. It's wrapped in this kind of sticky, rubbery stuff called gutta percha. And we're going across the ocean with this wire trailing behind this steamship.

[Molly Bloom]

And once they're done, they give the new Cross Ocean line a go.

[Dylan Thuras]

And Queen Victoria sends a lovely, flowery message to President Buchanan, the president at the time. And everyone is so excited. And for a few weeks, everyone is like, oh, my God, we can send messages across the ocean. And then it stops working.

[Molly Bloom]

Oh, no.

[Ava]

I know what happened.

[Dylan Thuras]

It's not obvious exactly what broke it, but probably it was not quite strong enough. And it probably just got sort of washed around on the bottom of the ocean. It is crossing, you know, a thousand plus miles.

[Molly Bloom]

But that didn't stop them.

[Ava]

They built stronger wires, better wires, and.

[Molly Bloom]

They laid it across the ocean again. It took about 10 years, but success. It worked. And this time it kept working. In some ways, you could say this was the beginning of our modern age of communication.

[Ava]

Yeah. Because over time, we learned to send more things over metal wires, like voices. Thanks to telephones.

[Molly Bloom]

Hello? Hi, Mom.

[Dylan Thuras]

It's your son, John. Happy birthday.

[Unknown Guest]

Oh, John, I was. For real, for real. Not expecting you. Ah.

[Molly Bloom]

We also found ways to send electricity through metal wires straight to homes.

[Ava]

Yeah. To power things like lights.

[Molly Bloom]

Today, even the Internet is zapped around the world, in large part thanks to wires, Though a lot of them are made with fiberglass or plastic.

[Ava]

Now, if you want to learn more, check out our episode about how the Internet works.

[Molly Bloom]

You'll hear how those underwater wires get damaged by curious sharks.

[Ava]

Metal is a big part of our lives. From the silverware you eat with to.

[Molly Bloom]

The phone you FaceTime your mom with on her birthday.

[Ava]

And it took a lot of people and a lot of breakthroughs to get here.

[Molly Bloom]

Yeah. As we've seen in the past three episodes, the journey from hunks of raw metal to metal wires. Wrapping the world took lots of people in lots of places trying lots of different things.

[Dylan Thuras]

Sometimes we have this idea in our head that one person has an idea and they've just. I've invented this thing and, you know, and suddenly the whole world changes, but it's actually a much more organic, much weirder, much slower, much more collaborative process.

[Molly Bloom]

Dylan, thanks for sharing all this cool history with us.

[Dylan Thuras]

Truly, it was my pleasure.

[Molly Bloom]

Say, isn't it about time for Sandin's.

[Sam Taunton]

Big grand opening ceremony?

[Molly Bloom]

Let's Go. So we don't miss it.

[Sandon]

Oh, man, oh man. It's almost time.

[Molly Bloom]

Sandon, we're here. Are you ready?

[Sandon]

Just about.

[Ava]

Whoa, that ribbon looks great.

[Sandon]

I just hope Mark comes through with those big scissors.

[Mark Sanchez]

Did someone say big scissors?

[Sandon]

Mark, you're here.

[Mark Sanchez]

Will these do?

[Molly Bloom]

What?

[Sandon]

Those are normal sized. I specifically asked for big ones. I know, I know.

[Mark Sanchez]

I was kidding. Here are the real scissors I made. Back it up, crew.

[Sandon]

Uh, those scissors are two stories tall. The blades are as long as basketball courts. They're absolutely ridiculously big. They're perfect. Thanks, Mark.

[Mark Sanchez]

Happy grand opening ceremony, buddy. Now let's cut that ribbon and break open the reverse pinata.

[Sandon]

Come on, everyone's gonna clap for me. This is going to be great. Oh, I can't wait to cut that ribbon.

[Molly Bloom]

Woo.

[Ava]

Let's go. This is going to be so great.

[Molly Bloom]

Humans have been making things with metal for thousands of years.

[Ava]

And when we got good at making metal wires, it opened up a lot of possibilities.

[Molly Bloom]

Not only could we send little jolts of electricity through those wires, but we learned to send messages too.

[Ava]

Eventually, wires ran across states and whole countries, even across the ocean. This let us send messages all over the place.

[Molly Bloom]

And we wired up homes and buildings so we could power them with electricity.

[Ava]

That's it for this episode of Brains On.

[Sam Taunton]

This episode was written by Sam Taunton, produced by me, Molly Bloom, and sound design by Mark Sanchez. He also wrote our theme music. Thanks to Andy Doucette and Vicki Lintour for their voice acting. And special thanks to Sharice Pedrick and John Aguilar.

[Molly Bloom]

Super duper.

[Sam Taunton]

Special thanks to Ken Taborski and Code.

[Molly Bloom]

Of the north for their website help. And shout out to Dylan Thuris for taking us on this fascinating tour through history. Okay, Ava, let's go back to that mystery sound again. Okay. What do you think?

[Ava]

I don't know. Something that's like, circling around like metal or something like that and then being, like, pulled away at the end.

[Molly Bloom]

I like that idea. I like it a lot. I'm going to change my guess to a beatboxing robot. Let's hear the answer.

[Ava]

Hi, my name is Ben and I live from Western Virginia. That was a sign of an egg rolling in a mixing bowl.

[Molly Bloom]

Excuse me. An egg rolling in a mixing bowl.

[Ava]

That's like. The metal sound was like.

[Molly Bloom]

Yeah, so the metal mixing bowl was making that sound. I've never had an occasion to roll an egg in a mixing bowl.

[Ava]

Me neither.

[Molly Bloom]

But I guess now we should try. If we want a dance party and we want to pretend a robot is Beatboxing all we need is an egg in a metal bowl.

[Ava]

Yes.

[Sam Taunton]

Now it's time for the brains honor roll. These are the incredible kids who keep the show going with their questions, ideas, mystery, sounds, drawings and high fives. Akira from simpsonville, south carolina callum from berkeley, california seth from atlanta mack from succussuna, new jersey waylon and keller from napa, calif. Oakley from denver, anouk from maine austin and nora from dudley, massachusetts maya from new york city magnolia from sunset, utah rebecca from chicago dylan from london, england akiva from los angeles aiden from lexington, massachusetts aubrey from philadelphia maya from melbourne, australia landon and sophia from richmond hill, georgia russell and william from durham, north carolina walter and leo from chicago jonathan from seattle, daniele from italy nya from chandler, arizona moira from california oscar from house, atonic, massachusetts alita and cora from seattle athena from imus, philippines sloan from georgia ezekiel from spring, texas kate from wallingford, connecticut william from walnut, california june and adrian from iowa city caleb and landon from lexington, kentucky dylan from rochester, new york julia from white plains, new york finley from tucson, arizona pete from richmond, virginia wesley from lincolnshire, illinois reese from hill air force base, utah colette and max from cary, north carolina lucienne from chicago cole from edmonton, alberta calvin from chester, pa sage and wiley from fredericksburg, texas joshua from fordham, england elliot from roanoke, virginia robbie from houston, texas avery, addison and autumn from plainfield, illinois james from dundas, ontario brody from cary, north carolina rosie from santa monica, california talus from essex, uk sid from hanson, massachusetts owen from waynesboro, virginia oakland from litchfield, arizona audrey from houston, texas phoenix from sydney, australia ida from niagara falls, new york zori and indigo from washington, d.c. molly and sam from linton, alberta ruby from philadelphia kellen from reno, nevada mika from honolulu jack and lucy from sunnyvale, california jack from hanville, australia wyatt from portland, maine and daphne from kirkland, washington. We're taking a little winter break, but we'll be back with new episodes of.

[Molly Bloom]

Brains on in two weeks.

[Ava]

Thanks for listening.